INTRODUCTION
Powerball is an American lottery game, coordinated by State Lottery Association (MUSL). Inaugurated in April 19, 1992 and drawing was held twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday); weekly third drawing (held Monday) was added on August 23, 2021. However, Draw held every Monday Wednesday and Saturday at time 10:59 PM Eastern Time, at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
How many states have Powerball lottery in USA?
Six states do not have state lotteries, and therefore do not sell Powerball or Mega Millions tickets namely Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada and Utah. But the other 44 states, including Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico play Powerball.
- How to buy tickets
- You can find out Powerball tickets at a drugstore, gas station, or grocery store. if they are authorized lottery retailer you can simply ask a cashier if they sell Powerball tickets. https://www.usamega.com/powerball/faq
- Anyone over the age of 18 can participate the game.
- if you are not a U.S. citizen and you win a jackpot, the IRS deducts a flat rate of 30% and U.S. citizens deduction is 25% initial deduction and state taxation. https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/08/pf/taxes/powerball-jackpot-tax-bill/
- if you want to play again with same number, you can purchase a multi-draw ticket (just ask the cashier) and can pay to use the same numbers up to 26 times. https://www.valottery.com/aboutus/blog/howtoplaypowerball
- When lottery draw held?
Lottery draw held three time in a week (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday) at 10:59 PM Eastern time
- How to check result Playball lottery?
you can check online link (https://www.powerball.com/about)
- If your power ball ticket not win, this ticket will not eligible to win in future drawings unless you pay specifically pay for multiple drawings.
- Jackpot minimum start from $20 million and increase each time a drawing occurs without a jackpot winner.https://www.powerball.com/notice
- Latest drawing results are posted on the top USA Mega Millions and Powerball website (https://www.usamega.com/)
- How to buy Powerball tickets online if legal in your state?
To buy online you have to find official website by writing on the browser your state name plus “Powerball” for example “New York Powerball” there is only one official website for each state either run by state lottery corporation or the government itself.
you should Avoid buying from third-party sites that resell official tickets. If you don’t buy from official site, the lottery can refuse to pay out the money if you win. (https://www.powerball.com/faq/question/can-i-purchase-powerball-tickets-over-internet)
As of October, 2021, these states let you purchase Powerball tickets online:
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- resident of that state or territory only purchase a Powerball ticket online.
- What are the GOAL AND WINNING COMBO BEHIND POWERBALL?
- To Understand the goal and combo you must know that Powerball played by selecting six numbers. Five number between 1-69 and one “Powerball” number between 1-26. A Machine randomly select each number on a special ball during the drawing.
- Your main purpose is to match every number selected perfectly, which will win you the jackpot. Although, there are other winning combinations of numbers that will win smaller prizes (which can be quite profitable in their own right).
- Your First five white ball numbers do not have to be in the same order as the balls that are drawn. For all prizes winning numbers win regardless of the order they are listed in. However, media usually reports numbers from smallest to largest to make it easier to read.
- However, the final Powerball number must match exactly, and none of the first five numbers can count in place of that final number.https://www.powerball.com/faq/question/do-i-have-match-numbers-exact-order-drawn
- Powerball may change the number of balls in play to tweak the odds. In the past, Powerball has reduced the white count from 69 to 59 and red count from 35 to 26. https://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-powerball-rules-were-tweaked-20160112-column.html
- Changing the number of balls reduced the odds of winning the jackpot, and this change likely created the $1.5 billion jackpot.
Add on “Power Play” for $1 extra for a shot at multiplying your winnings
- Powerball ticket costs is $2. However, you also have the option to play “Power Play” for $1 more in every state except California.
- Power Play increases the winning chances for all non-jackpot prizes.
- Prizes for winning tickets with the Power Play add-on are subject to a 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x multiplier selected at random before each drawing as of October 2021. For example, a $4 prize would become either $8, $12, $16, or $20 with Power Play.
- The Power Play option not valid in California because state laws require that lottery prizes be paid on a pari-mutuel basis.https://www.usamega.com/powerball/faq
Its means that lottery prizes cannot be set at absolute values, but must change based on the number of tickets sold and the amount of winning tickets.
To know how to play Powerball
- How to fill out your ticket,
it varies state to state but the basic method for filling the ticket is same everywhere. You have to specify the number you what to bit on, the number of drawing you want and whether or not you want power play option. Follow the below option for filling the ticket.
- Fill in the spaces for five numbers from 1-69 and one number from 1-26. Generally, Powerball tickets are divided into multiple sections known as “boards” which have rows of multiple-choice style bubbles to fill in to choose your numbers. Each board basically counts as one $2 ticket. In other words, you can fill out one board on the ticket and bet on a single set of numbers by $2. Each other board filled out costs $2 more but allows you to bet on further set of numbers.
- Specify for each board whether you do like the “Power Play” option. Each board (excluding California) should have a space that allows you to buy a Power Play for your set of numbers.
- Fill in the QP space instead of your numbers for random numbers. “QP” stands for “Quick Pick” this option lets a computer randomly choose numbers for you.
- Select how many drawings you want. Many tickets have a “Multi-draw” section that allows you to pay for multiple drawings. For example, fill in the “2” space if you want to bet on your numbers for two back-to-back drawings. Each following drawing costs as much as an additional ticket.
- If you make mistake on any board, fill “VOID” in the space for that board. Do not try to erase – instead you should mark the board void and fill your numbers in on another board.
- When you finished you have to pay for your ticket. The assistant will evaluate the price of your ticket based on how many boards and Power Plays you have selected.
- For example, if you show 5 draws on one board with a Power Play and 5 without, you have to pay 5 × 3 + 5 × 2 = $25.
- Alternate to fill the ticket by hand or quick pick?
If you do not like to fill out a time consuming Powerball ticket by hand or you do not care which numbers you bet on, you can generally ask for a Quick Pick ticket as an alternative of the normal Powerball ticket. In this case, a computer will randomly take your numbers for you as if you had fill in the “QP” space for a board on the ticket.
- How to check your numbers for Powerball’s prize-winning combination?
If the numbers you selected match the numbers drawn in any one of nine given group, you can collect your prizes. Note that the prize amounts further down represent base values – Power Play prizes are subject to a 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x multiplier, selected at random (except for Jackpots, which are not multiplied, and prizes for matching five white balls, which will only double).
The winning combinations are:
- Matching only the red ball the winning is $4
- Matching the red ball and one white ball the winning is $4
- Matching the red ball and two white balls this winning is $7
- Matching three white balls the winning is $7
- Matching the red ball and three white balls, winning $100
- Matching four white balls winning $100
- Matching the red ball and four white balls, winning $50,000
- Matching five white balls, winning $1,000,000
- Matching the red ball and five white balls, winning Jackpot!
Note: prizes be different in California because state law requires lottery prizes to be given on a pari-mutuel basis (where the charge depends on the pool of bets, instead of a fixed expenses)
Link https://www.usamega.com/powerball/faq
- How to collect your money if your number match?
Small prizes can be collected from that merchant you bought the ticket and big prize requires official verification.
if your win up to $600 you can go to lottery retailer with your ticket and you can claim the reward. Otherwise, if you win over $600 you can go to a lottery district office with your ticket. The procedure for claiming big prizes differ from state to state. you could need to fill out a claim form, etc.
- Powerball tickets do expire from 90 days to a full year. The time you have to claim a prize differs from state to state.
- If you left the state, you bought the ticket from. It is legal to mail your ticket to the state lottery office.
- Powerball provides a map that links you to state lottery pages, which will have more particular information about claiming prizes state wise.
- on January 13, 2016 “Powerball” set a world record jackpot of $1.586 billion, and that still holds in 2021.
What pay-out option for jackpot prizes
When you win the jackpot the only question come in the mind, how would you like your money? Powerball jackpot winners have two options for clam prize. In First option winners can receive the entire prize at once in a lump sum and in second option they can receive it as an annuity in yearly instalments. Taking lump sum will give them lots of money, so it may be a good idea, if they want to do investment immediately. The annuity option invests the winning cash and gives them first instalment immediately, then gives following payments each year for 29 years including interest, which is a better for long-term.
- Note that Powerball winnings are subject to federal or state income taxes. Because of this, the annuity option will give you more money in the long term and not only receive interest on prize but each year you will have to pay taxes on about 1/30th of your total, meaning more of your prize will be taxed at a lower bracket. On the other hand, in lump-sum payment you will have to pay up to about half of your money in taxes or it depends on your state’s income tax rules.
Learn your Powerball odds
Like any lottery, Powerball’s jackpot odds are very slim. Many avid Powerball players consider the excitement of going against the odds to be part of the fun. To make an educated decision when buying Powerball tickets, consult the official odds listed below, which are for a single random $2 ticket: https://www.powerball.com/games/home
- Matching only the red ball: 1 in 38.32
- Matching the red ball and one white ball: 1 in 91.98
- Matching the red ball and two white balls: 1 in 701.33
- Matching three white balls: 1 in 579.76
- Matching the red ball and three white balls: 1 in 14,494.11
- Matching four white balls: 1 in 36,525.17
- Matching the red ball and four white balls: 1 in 913,129.18
- Matching five white balls: 1 in 11,688,053.52
- Matching the red ball and five white balls: 1 in 292,201,338.00
- Overall odds of winning any prize at all: 1 in 24.87
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